Infantry Rifle Bayonets

Introduction

Although issued at different times, all of the bayonets listed below will fit onto any rifle with a 15mm muzzle ring: Ig. 89, Ig. 89/96, Kad. Gew. 97, Ig. 96/11, and Ig. 11. As the bayonet lugs are identical, infantry rifle bayonets will also fit onto carbines, but will be very loose due to the excess clearance at the muzzle. Occasionally, bayonets were modified with a 0.5mm bushing inside the muzzle ring to bring the diameter down to 14mm. These appear identical to a standard model, but will only fit on a carbine. 

As standard bayonets were supplied to the arsenals separately to rifles (without serial numbers), and then marked and issued at a later date, it is not uncommon to find bayonets number-matched to infantry rifles of an earlier or later type than would directly correspond to their production date. Additionally, it is not possible to easily determine the exact date of manufacture for a bayonet as their only serial numbers correspond to the rifle and not the bayonet itself. 

Regular infantry would always receive a standard Dolchbajonett (dagger bayonet). The Vierkant-Stichbajonett (cruciform spike bayonet) and Sägebajonett (sawback bayonet) were both initially issued to the Engineering Troops, although would later come to issued more widely. The cruciform bayonet in particular has come to be associated with the Cyclist Troops, but was not unique to that branch of service. Special variants of the dagger bayonets were also produced for military musicians. These had a simplified pommel, with no slot or latch, and could not be fitted to a rifle. They also came from the factory with a polished chrome finish. 

Standard Bayonets

Dolchbajonett Modell 1889

The initial, standard-issue bayonet issued with the Ig. 89, the M. 89 bayonet features a double-edged, fullered blade, 300mm in length. The crossguard has a 15mm muzzle ring, and the pommel has a slot and latch to fit onto the bayonet lug on the rifle. The hilt has wooden grips. The metal parts were ordinarily issued in the white, although some soldiers elected to have theirs chrome plated privately, in order to resist corrosion. 

The scabbard, made from blued steel, has a leather tab to fasten it into a bayonet frog, and has a piece of spring steel inside to apply friction to the blade and retain it. However, this was often found to be insufficient, leading to revision in later variants. 

M. 89s were produced by both the Eidgenössisches Waffenfabrik (W+F) in Bern, Canton Bern and Schweizer Industrie-Gesselschaft (SIG) in Neuhausen am Rhein, Canton Schaffhausen. The maker's name would be stamped on the ricasso, in the format 'MASCHINENFABRIK BERN' or 'WAFFENFABRIK NEUHAUSEN'. 

Dolchbajonett Modell 1899

Due to the aforementioned issues with bayonets failing to be retained in scabbards, the design of the blade was updated in 1899 to add a ridge inside the fuller. The spring steel tab inside the scabbard would press against this, creating enough friction that the bayonet would only be withdrawn from the scabbard when a soldier chose to do so. Otherwise, the M. 99 is identical to its predecessor. As it was issued in the largest numbers with the Ig. 96/11 and Ig. 11, and included in the official list of ancillaries to be provided with those rifles, the M. 99 is sometimes known as the Dolchbajonett Modell 1911.

M. 99s were produced by SIG, and marked either 'WAFFENFABRIK NEUHAUSEN' or 'SIG NEUHAUSEN'. 

Dolchbajonett Modell 1889/18

Later, existing stocks of M. 89 bayonets were modified by adding a rivet to the fuller, which would fulfil the same role as the integrally machined ridge on the M. 99. These bayonets were re-designated as M. 89/18s. 

 Specialist Models

Vierkant-Stichbajonett Modell 1889/92

Originally intended for use by the Engineering Troops, the M. 89/92 cruciform bayonet was produced by cutting the socket bayonets used on the earlier Vetterli rifles down to a blade length of 383.5mm, and then grafting on a crossguard and pommel to fit onto the Ig. 89. In time, the type was issued more widely, and has come to be associated with the Cyclist Troops. However, by the 1920s, they had largely fallen out of service and been replaced with dagger bayonets. The entire bayonet (blade and fittings) was blued, and no grips were provided. Some examples had their muzzle rings bushed to 14mm, for issued with the Kurz-Gew. 00 or Kar. 11. 

Early examples were issued with leather scabbards, but these were replaced with blued steel from 1911 onwards.